1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paste dispensing system and in particular to a mechanically assisted paste dispense apparatus and method for dispensing small dots and lines of conductive paste on ceramic greensheets utilized in microelectronic circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
Ceramic greensheets are employed in the production of microelectronic integrated circuit devices. Such greensheets are typically personalized by depositing conductive paste in the form of lines using masks. Yield losses for glass ceramic greensheet product often exceed 30%, and conductive paste may be deposited on the surface in order to repair either line voids or partially filled vias. Prior art methods have included using a very fine brush e.g., using one hair, and dipping it into a reservoir of paste and using a microscope, transferring the paste into the line void on the greensheet. Other dispenser systems on the market rely only on pressure and positive displacement to squeeze conductive paste from dispense nozzles. Such systems suffer from clogging problems when sized to dispense small dots of conductive paste. These systems also produce inconsistent dot sizes. As lines get narrower, i.e., less than 50 microns, the ability to perform this type of repair manually using brushes or by paste dispensing equipment becomes more difficult, if not impossible.